32. Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done.
33. The two Merari clans were the Mahlites and the Mushites,
34. and they had six thousand two hundred men and boys at least one month old.
35. The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail.
36-37. Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.
38. Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshipped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death.
39. So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.
40. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a list and count the firstborn sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families.
41. They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites' livestock as substitutes for the Israelites' firstborn livestock.”